The Tactile Art Gallery
Study Project in Glasgow School of Art
The Tacilt Art Gallery aims to give a place for people to enjoy 3D printing artworks by touching and a social platform for those people to interact and support each other. The target users mainly are people who are visually challenged in this project hence accessible facilities for blind people are necessary.
“Typically, 80% of our sensory experience is visual, because it’s so much quicker. The remaining 20% is non-visual. But 100% of the ‘design’ tends to be all about the visual,” said Chris Downey, who is a San-Francisco-based architect, who lost his eyesight following a surgical operation.
Creating a space that can be experienced by other senses rather than only visual is a challenge. As Chris said, designers are used to thinking of design as being a visual process. I spent almost a week searching for outstanding design cases from exhibitions, museums and galleries for inspiration but finally, all of them are related to visual effects. In this project, I strike a challenge that mainly uses other senses rather than visuals to create a friendly gallery space for visually impaired users.
Location
Glasgow, Scotland
Scope of Service
#museumdesign #exhibitiondesign #communicationsdesign #wayfinding
3D Exhibition View
▍Research
According to the data, it is common for visually impaired people to visit museums in their lives. Unfortunately, an inaccessible environment, such as lacking supportive information and relevant facilities for those people, directly leads to a drop in the willingness to go to museums. Besides, the location of museums must be near public transportation so visitors with special needs can easily visit. Other factors such as information about accessible facilities on the internet and a full of considerate facilities for general disabilities are also important. These data gave me a valuable reference for selecting a location and planning space when designing a public space for leisure for visually challenged users.
▍Site Analysis
Move the mouse here to a show site photo
The reasons for choosing this site as a tactile art gallery:
- It is the only site on the list that has an outdoor area for a garden
- Easy access by public transportation
- Located in a residential area but not far from to city centre
- The environment around this site is quiet and comfortable
The weakness of this site:
- Several construction works in progress nearby that cause a certain level of noise
- Located at the roadside that leads to air and noise pollution
- The total area of interior space is a little bit small for an art gallery
▍Level Diagram
▍Section
▍Model
GF Entrance Level
1-2F Exhibition Level
Reception | GF
Cafe | GF
Outdoor Garden | GF
Exhibition | 1-2F
▍More Design Details
Art Gallery
The pitch-dark environment heightens other senses and creates a private space for every visitor. Although this art gallery does not have a massive collection like a normal art gallery, visitors can spend a longer time experiencing every art piece.